NeuraBlink was a tantalizing offer, one he couldn’t afford to turn down if he ever wanted to make it. At the time, even with the risks carried by its beta release, it promised to offer him the perfect solution to all of his problems.
The most significant advantage LACIE had over him was speed. It could unravel thousands of chapters in an instant. What held it back was the fact that it still needed a cursory review from editors before it could be pushed out.
If Morpheus could employ his mere thoughts to construct his dreams, then it wouldn’t be impossible to overtake the AI and reclaim his top spot.
Even without a supercomputer, he had his mind. The human psyche remained largely unexplored, even as they made huge advances in the technological fields. That unknown and unused potential gave him hope for humanity.
That was the dream shared by the creators of the implant as well. Seeing the downfall of humanity as imminent, they sought to meld technology and the human together.
Humanity would become the caterpillar that gives birth to the techno butterfly. The reproductive organs of the machine world as it were.
Of course, they worried about their profits and shareholders even more than they did about humanity. Upon seeing the price tag associated with the product, Murphy was convinced they didn’t give a shit about humanity.
The surgery alone cost just below 20,000 euro-dollars. Even though it was a brief process lasting less than 15 minutes, they would charge a kidney and a half for it. Mind you, in the current era, humans weren’t worth a lot, so take that price as adjusted for inflation.
Then there was the product itself, which was another 30,000 eddies. The microchip was a pain to manufacture, and they still barely pumped out a few hundred a day. Still, that price-tag already excluded 80 percent of the populace from being able to afford it.
The best part of it was the subscription fee. The implant would connect seamlessly with the StarVeil network of satellites, granting one highly efficient access to the world’s internet.
The caveat was the bandwidth. Supposedly, directly navigating it with one’s mind would require a much pricier data plan, so the corp didn’t hesitate to charge a limb for every month of service.
Therein lay the problem — Murphy was nearly broke.
He barely had a few thousands left to his name, and an inherited home in an abandoned village somewhere. He didn’t even bother to check their value, because no one other than an evil corp would deign to buy it.
“A bank it is…”
Murphy was strangely decisive about this issue, and once he set his mind on getting that implant, there would be no pussyfooting around.
In the afternoon of the same day, he sat across a SoulChase banker’s desk in Cluj.
“Look, sir,” he reiterated for the fifteenth time by now, “I know I don’t have much to mortgage against the sum, but I have an excellent credit score.”
“Like I told you, mister Murphy, it’s not my decision to make.”
Despite sounding apologetic, the man simply couldn’t wait to get the bozo out of his office. He kept staring at the watch, as if expecting those fifteen minutes would somehow go by quicker.
“I can earn it back easily once I get the implant. I was a top selling novelist for years.”
“Yes, I’m very familiar with the records you shared…” the banker almost groaned at this point, seeing as they kept going in circles.
“How about you talk to someone who can make the decision?”
Murphy slammed the desk with his palm, but his face hid a sly smile. Suddenly reminding himself it’s Romania, he decided to try and play by their rules.
Did you perhaps think a dystopian society would somehow cure corruption? If anything, it only aggravated the needs of the people. Even with surveillance at every corner, some risks were worth taking.
Underneath his aggressive palm strike, Murphy hid a few crumpled bills. Pushing his hand further, he hid the modest bribe from the watchful eyes of the cameras above.
Keeping up his act, he sat back down with a huff and breathed as if trying to calm down.
“Please, just give me a chance. I NEED this.”
The banker closed the folder on his desk, and in doing so hid the money. As if suddenly buying his plea, he sighed and assented, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Excellent. I only need 45’ large. I should be able to repay it all within three years at the latest!”
Clapping his hands in glee, Murphy smiled in anticipation. Paired with his unkempt look and bloodshot eyes, he looked like no different from an addict who scored a new hit.
At least, he was happy.
The bank moved quickly once his agent made up his mind. To them, issuing a small loan under a hundred grand wasn’t that big of a deal. By the end of the hour, the papers were signed and the money transfered to his wallet.
Tucking away the receipts, he briskly made his way back to the motel, where his happiness intensified. NeuraLink had approved his candidacy in the beta program, and he would merely need to put down the deposit before being scheduled for a surgery.
Very soon, he would own his very own system, paired with an AI assistant to help him with everything. Starting with some mundane proof reading, it would soon grow compatible with his writing and even help him edit.
Before long, he could relax in a pool while his mind transcribed his dreams into reality and gave them form.
“Back in business, baby!” he shouted in mad excitement.
“Fuck me,” he groaned in misery a second later, awoken from his daze.
Still imagining himself in a humongous pool, he’d forgotten this was reality and he was stuck in a coffin tube. Luckily, the motel walls were durable and he didn’t break anything.
Unluckily, his hands hurt like hell. He winced and fidgeted a little, but ultimately quieted down under the sheets.
Murphy tried to sleep, but found himself too excited to still his mind.
Whisking out the advert brochure, he gave it another read, as if thoroughly analyzing the biblical manuscripts or something.
He didn’t understand jack shit about the fancy specs, and had long since lost touch with the latest tech. As far as he knew before that day, an i11 was still the dream laptop on the market.
One could only wonder what he found so appealing in the brochure. Be it the legal jargon and risks disclaimer, or the lengthy privacy policy that ensured XCorp read every thought he put out there, the terms implied he was willingly becoming a lab rat.
That didn’t deter Murphy. One would think after signing a slave contract with his publisher, he would know better than to double down.
Well, that isn’t untrue. He of course knew what the trade-offs were, but simply couldn’t afford to care. He was desperate, and any chance he had at getting back his life would be met with enthusiasm.
He didn’t doubt for a second XCorp wouldn’t find some way to abuse the information and scans that went through their servers. It was common for the tech giants to do whatever they wanted and get away with it.
They were the new kings of the world. The colossi that ruled even over the government.
Our overlords.

Latest Chapter
Final Words
Thank you to whoever made it this far :) I'll revise this at a later date, after I proof read and edit the book once or twice.At that point, it will be marked as complete and I will bid farewell to the site. Though I am glad to have accrued some readers, and met many peers among authors, it has been a tad underwhelming. Unable and unwilling to say anything more, I'll simply address some gratitude to Helen Bold.She's an excellent editor and author on the site, and has been the reason I delivered this book to you.Consider checking out her books. As for myself, I do have other book(s) published.I can't share links, but you can search for my name and they should appear. Alternatively, just add me on Discord, and I'll help you find your way. Thank you again to everyone who's given this a chance,As always, your attention has been a blessing.~Raven
Ch 73 - Epilogue
- — ✎ — - The five year anniversary of Murphy’s vow was finally upon him, but he had long since completed his promise. No later than a year after the final battle, he successfully unsealed his seventh gate. That came largely as a result of his success in that battle, and the fruits he claimed in its aftermath. Specifically, he salvaged Erebus’ consciousness. Once it was in his dream realm, he had all the time he needed to crack it. Other than being the de facto leader of Physis Nomos, the old man had dipped his toes in all kinds of criminal enterprises over the years. His psychic powers made him the perfect assassin. Lethal, traceless, silent. By reliving through his memories, Murphy salvaged hundreds of interesting connections, and tasked the Chainbreakers to follow up and unearth those leads. The cases they unveiled had all but quaked the world. From businessmen in Asia, to politicians in the deep state of the US, people from all over the world were incriminated. Proof w
Ch 72 - Final Battle
Murphy had no time to curse as the earth dragged him back to its hard embrace. He was strangely familiar with this sensation, and knew exactly what the outcome of such a fall was. Alas, now was not the time to reminisce about his jump from the bridge…Erebus and his goons expected him to splatter across the ground, and even took steps to avoid the impact area. Yet, they were in for a surprise of their own, because despite appearing panicked and flailing his arms like a desperate duck, Murphy was anything but.When he was merely a second from impact, Murphy suddenly spread his psyche and willed himself to slow down.A sudden force shrouded the area, allowing Murphy to veer directly towards the bodyguards accompanying Erebus. Before those two could react, and too busy managing the hostages, Murphy made landfall next to them.His fists coated in fire struck the first one in the chest, eviscerating organs and bone alike. The other panicked, hand reaching for his gun, yet a mere glance ha
Ch 71 - Erebus
Murphy paid no heed to the retinal text, and was far more preoccupied with Eleanor falling. His stretched out hand clasped, guiding his intent and will from afar.His psyche took form, his psychokinesis pushed to its next step, and she was suspended mid-air! He had achieved similar things with immaterial objects like a pen, but never a human.Luckily, her psyche was sapped by the curse and couldn’t resist. This allowed him to control her easily, or he would have been doomed to fail.She flew in the air, eyes squinted in horror once she realized what might befall her. The sensation of flying around eventually stopped, and she tentatively opened her eyes once she felt Murphy’s arms wind tightly around her.Murphy hugged her, bottling up a dozen curses and reproaches that could only wait for later. He was angry, but he was terrified even more.“Y-you’re crazy—” he bit his lips, leaving the rest of the accusation unsaid. “I’m sorry,” she offered plainly, before bursting into tears of her
Ch 70 - Sixth Gate
When Murphy snuck back on the ship, he was surprised to see Eleanor awake. Hands on her waist, she waited by the docking area and made sure he saw her pout.“Not even halfway through our honeymoon, and you’re already tired of me?” she joked and huffed, “I didn’t expect you to find someone else so quickly…”“Guilty as charged,” he grinned in response, “I figured since I scored the most beautiful woman on the planet, I might be lucky enough with the second…”“Compliments won’t get you out of this one, darling.” Ellie turned serious, “What were you up to?”“Kind of a long story… I didn’t want to sour our happiness, but it seems there’s no rest for the wicked.”“Sure, I’ll make some coffee. Tell me all about it.”“Tea for me,” he interjected as he reattached the boat to the yacht and trailed along to the lounge.A few minutes later, Eleanor sat in her rightful place, serving him tea while she drank coffee on his lap. They indulged the warm drinks in silence, but eventually Murphy gathere
Ch 69 - System Embryo
Murphy tried to focus on Erebus, but his visions didn’t become any clearer. He could not see past the darkness, try as he might to muster his power.Eventually, the revelations shattered as a whole, his psychic reserves almost exhausted. He could only cut his losses and sigh in regret.‘I was this close!’ Murphy struck the edge of his marble throne, shattering the armrest to pieces. It was only then that he was reminded it was a mere dream, and a terrified child was staring at him in fear.“Fear not, Asen,” he tried to comfort, but the fire in his eyes didn’t make him sound very convincing.It was only when the boy outright started crying that Murphy realized his folly and doused the inner flame, regaining a more calm demeanor. “I’m sorry,” he lifted the boy off the ground, and brought him someplace nicer in that same instant, “Don’t cry any longer… I won’t hurt you. I promise.”“I know,” the sniveling boy replied amidst tears, “That’s… not… why I’m crying…”“Then?”“I just… don’t wa
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